The Albanian citizenship is a legal right needed in order to legally belong to the state of Albania and accept the responsibilities of being an Albanian citizen. It can be obtained, re-obtained, lost or renounced and no one can be arbitrarily deprived from it. The Albanian state provides Albanian citizenship to foreigners. A foreigner can apply for Albanian citizenship without losing his/her actual citizenship in the place of origin, if legislation in that state foresees double or multiple citizenship. Foreigners can acquire the citizenship through the process of naturalization.

In order for a foreign individual to file an application for Albanian citizenship, he/she needs to:

  1. Be at least 18 years old;
  2. Have lawfully resided in the territory of the Republic of Albania, for at least 5 years;
  3. Have accommodation and adequate financial means;
  4. Have not been prosecuted for criminal crimes in his/her own country, or in the Republic of Albania and imprisoned for more than 3 years. The only exception to this rule happens when the prosecution consists on political charges;
  5. Have at least basic knowledge of the Albanian language;
  6. His/her granting of the Albanian citizenship does not infringe the security and defence of the Republic of Albania.

Necessary documents:

The foreigner is ought to prepare a request to the President of the Republic of Albania. This request must be signed by the foreigner himself/herself (name, surname and signature). It contains:

  • The full identity of the applicant: name, surname, date of birth, place of birth;
  • The correct and full address of his/her permanent residence;
  • The mail address, e-mail address and telephone number through which he can be informed about his/her request;
  • The reasons why he/she wants to obtain the Albanian citizenship;
  • His/her birth and family certificate, original copy and legalized in the embassy of the state of origin;
  • Parents’ birth or death certificate;
  • An explanatory confirmation by the regional police station and Prefecture about the citizenship that the parents of the applicant might have had or still have;
  • Three photos of the applicant (if he/she has children under 14, he/she must send photos for each one of them).

* Applicants over 14 years old should also send:

  • A notary declaration if whether he/she has applied for another citizenship
  • The certification of the relevant administrative unit

Other documents:

  • Proof of application fee payment
  • A written evaluation of the competent bodies that affirm the documents regarding the level of the Albanian language
  • A photocopied notarized authorization to stay in the Republic of Albania (if he/she lives in Albania)
  • A photocopied notarized act of ownership of the residence or contract of rent
  • A photocopied notarized work contract or an affirmation document from the office of taxes if he/she is self-employed
  • Photocopied notarized documents that verify he/she possesses adequate financial means for a living (savings book, bank guarantee, certificate of income, etc.)
  • Proof of penalty taken in the place of origin and in the place where he/she has been residing legally for the past 6 months
  • A written evaluation by the regional police station about his/her behaviour (if he/she lives in Albania)
  • A photocopied notarized confirmation that he/she is an asylee (if he/she is)

Procedure:

The request for the Albanian citizenship can be sent to the regional police station which covers the area where the applicant lives in the territory of Albania, or to the diplomatic/consular representations of the Republic of Albania in the country where the applicant lives. This request can be submitted either by the applicant himself/herself, or by a proxy representative. The evaluation period of the documentations is 9 months. The application fee is 30 Euro, to the bank account of the Embassy.

The police station or the diplomatic/consular representation sends the documents to the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Albania. The applicant is informed when his/her request and documents are accepted. If his documentation is not complete, it is sent back to him/her, given a period of 1 month to re-prepare the documents. Then, if his/her documentation is complete and right, within 6 months, the ministry decides about the submission of the request to the President of the Republic of Albania. The applicant is notified by the Ministry and granted an official note about their decision. If the applicant has any objections, he can file a suit in the district court of Tirana.

The Ministry sends the submission to the President. The President issues the decree for the applicant within 3 months. The copy of the decree is sent to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Ministry of Justice and then it is published in the Official Gazette. The applicant is given the relevant documentation. Then he/she proceeds to take an oath to be loyal of the Albanian state and to respect the Constitution of Albania, in front of the clerk of the Office of Registration of Albanian citizens. Albanian citizenship is granted since the day of the oath. The official decision for granting the Albanian citizenship is revoked in case it is verified that the applicant has consciously done a request for the Albanian citizenship using falsified or wrong documents.

Exceptions and special cases:

If the applicant proves through certificates that he is of Albanian origin, from at least one parent up to the second generation, the requirement for residing in the Albanian territory is reduced from 5 years to 2.

If the applicant has been married to an Albanian citizen for at least 3 years, he/she may apply for citizenship. The requirement for residing in the Albanian territory is reduced from 5 years to 1, and the applicant does not have to know basic knowledge of the Albanian language.

If the applicant does not enjoy citizenship at all, therefore being a stateless person, he/she can apply for Albanian citizenship. The applicant has to fulfil the residence requirement for 5 years and not burden the security and defense of the Republic of Albania.

If both parents are given Albanian citizenship by naturalization, their child under the age of 18 can become an Albanian citizen by his/her parents’ request. If the child is between 14 and 18 years old, his/her approval is required as well. If the child is born outside the territory of Albania, from one Albanian parent and one unknown or stateless, the child is given Albanian citizenship. If he/she is born outside the territory of Albania and has one foreign parent and one Albanian, if both parents agree, he/she is given Albanian citizenship.

* This tip was prepared based on information provided by the Information Packages of ADISA on foreign citizens. For more information, please visit the sites, or contact the Centre for Information on Public Services at ADISA at the telephone number 0800 0118, free of charge, from Monday to Friday, during 08:00 – 19:00.